


"Happy Valentine's Day."

by icemakestars



Series: ♡ 100 WAYS TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" ♡ [13]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Gift Giving, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff, soft boyfriends :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22726300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: Jellal is getting progressively more concerned about what to get Gray for Valentine's Day, but luckily the perfect gift is in sight.
Relationships: Jellal Fernandes/Gray Fullbuster
Series: ♡ 100 WAYS TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" ♡ [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1283213
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14
Collections: FTLGBTales Fairy Hearts 2020, Fairy Tail LGBTales, Fairy Tail Rarepairs





	"Happy Valentine's Day."

Meredy was the closest thing to family that Jellal had, and as such the younger woman saw no issue in speaking her mind. 

“This is your first Valentines as a couple. You  _ have  _ to do something!” Meredy frowned, and Jellal reciprocated the expression. He had never been in a couple before, not properly, and although he understood that this time of year was important for relationships he couldn’t explain why. Gray had not expressed any interest in the season, so Jellal had assumed that it would pass the same as any other day, but Meredy was not content with that. 

“Come on Jellal. Give him a bit of romance! You love Gray, right?” 

With flushed cheeks, Jellal nodded. 

“Of course I do.” 

He had never liked admitting his feelings aloud unless they were directed to the person themself, but it was just Meredy and himself sat around a campfire. Since Ultear had disappeared and they had been travelling alone, Jellal had felt them grow even closer than before. Being so empathetic, Meredy helped Jellal muddle through his feelings, had advised him when Gray had initially confessed his interest, so Jellal felt comfortable with Meredy. More than that, he trusted her, and for a man with a history as black as Jellal’s, that was a difficult enough feat. 

“So show him.” Meredy’s tone softened, her hand fell on his knee, and she smiled. Meredy gave more of herself than anyone deserved to receive, and even if Jellal was grateful he often wondered why she would waste so much kindness on a man like him. 

Shaking away the intrusive thoughts, Jellal excused himself for the night, staring at the tear in the roof of his tent and wondering what on Earthland he would get Gray as a gift. 

* * *

“Will this be okay?” Jellal was nervous, unsure if he was taking the season too far or not trying hard enough. His insecurities were mapped out across the lines on his face and the tremble in his voice, but Meredy had water in her eyes, gaze snapping from Jellal’s face to the box in his hand and then back again. 

“It’s perfect.” 

Jellal exhaled heavily, relief flooding him at the approval of his friend. It had been a difficult choice for him, because Gray was not a materialistic man. They had that in common, both preferring memories and sentiment over expensive items. For Jellal, it was easier that way. When travelling he could only take what he needed; what Jellal wanted rarely came into his mind. Gray kept items which were significant in some way, or made his hectic life a little less chaotic, but otherwise he was content to simply be. Still, Jellal felt as though this was the right thing to do. Although he had found this by accident, and he truly believed that Gray would like it. Or he hoped so, at least. 

Being in a relationship was a new experience for Jellal, so everything that came with the territory was foreign terrain; scary and difficult to muddle through. Meredy offered her support, as did Erza, but Jellal felt awkward asking for help, and even worse being a burden to the people he cared about. It would have made more sense to simply ask Gray what he wanted for Valentines Day, but the opportunity never arose, and when it did Jellal always became too nervous and afraid. Only Gray had that effect on him, and that fact alone was terrifying to Jellal. He was older than Gray, so would no doubt be expected to know more about relationships. Jellal couldn’t tell Gray that, even at the age of thirty, this was his first love. He couldn’t tell Gray that, but Jellal knew that it was true. 

With a shaky breath he knocked on Gray’s door, part of him hoping that his boyfriend wouldn’t answer. But then the door opened, and a frazzled and confused Gray came into view. He was shirtless, of course, but a navy blue apron was hanging loosely from around his neck, splattered with chocolate and flour and other items of food which Jellal could not immediately identify. Gray’s eyes focused on Jellal’s face, widened slightly, and then he swung the door open fully. 

“What are you doing here?” He snapped, and Jellal took a step back. 

“Should I… not have come?” 

There was a panic in Gray’s face then and he reached forward to grab Jellal’s arm. Before their skin could touch, an alarm went off behind him, and Gray darted away after it, throwing a “Come in!” over his shoulder. Jellal only hesitated for a second, worried that this maybe wasn’t what Gray truly wanted, but he had to at least make sure that his boyfriend was okay before he left. 

The inside of Gray’s house was cleaner than usual. Jellal was impressed until he followed Gray into the kitchen and watched the other man stand on a chair and waft a towel under the smoke alarm. When the noise stopped, Gray stepped back on the ground and fell onto the chair with an exhausted sigh. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Gray wiped his hand across his face, smearing some chocolate onto his cheek. “I just wanted this to be perfect for our first Valentine’s Day. I was going to invite you over later for a meal, but it isn’t ready yet so seeing you made me panic.” 

For weeks, Jellal had been getting more anxious and frustrated, worried that he would either be doing too much or not enough. Gray had felt the same, and that made everything that little bit more special. Jellal was surrounded by pots and pans, food being prepared across every inch of Gray’s work surface. He had thought this through to the last detail, planning what seemed to be a three-course meal for Jellal. They both wanted to make this day as wonderful as it could be, but Jellal knew that nothing materialistic could bring that sort of happiness. He crouched down so that they were at eye level, cupping Gray’s cheek with a smile. 

“If I’m with you Gray, it will always be perfect.” 

Gray laughed away his embarrassment, spinning in his seat and offering Jellal a taste from the bowl behind him. It was a curry, not too strong as Gray had never been fond of spicy foods, but it still had a kick to it. There was a smoothness to the flavour, and Jellal guessed that that was where the chocolate had come from. 

“It’s delicious.” 

“I’m glad.” Gray hummed. “I didn’t know what to get you, so I thought I’d try and make it a memorable night instead.” 

Jellal would have done something similar had he not come across a gift which he believed Gray would like. They both valued memories over gifts, but Jellal still hoped that he had made the right decision. 

“I know that neither of us have much interest in materialistic goods,” Jellal began, pulling a small satin box from the inside of his jacket pocket. “But when I saw this I instantly thought of you, and knew that I had to have it.” 

He hesitantly offered the box to Gray, who was frowning curiously, a smile curving the edge of his mouth. 

“I hope you like it.” Jellal murmured, eyes transfixed on Gray’s fingers when he flipped open the lip of the box and finally saw its contents. 

It was a frost diamond, the same type as the one hung from the cross around Gray’s neck, a gift from his late mother. For Gray, it was one of the most important items he owned; these stones were not often found in the South. Jellal knew how lucky he was to find one whilst travelling. It was set in silver with a small hoop at the top, making it easy to attach to clothes or other pieces of jewellery. In the light, the gem cast rainbows across Gray’s skin, his thumb skimming the edge of the silver tentatively, too afraid to touch. 

“Jellal… I don’t know what to say.” 

“Is it okay?” Jellal was apprehensive. The necklace was so special, he didn’t want it to seem as though he was trying to replace any of the memories which Gray held so dearly. Coming from the same continent, different from everyone else, Jellal could appreciate how having even a small slice of home could feel so warm and distinct. He was staring at his feet., unable to meet Gray’s gaze as he set the charm down and placed his cool hand on Jellal’s cheek. 

“It’s incredible.” He murmured, leaning forward so that their foreheads touched. “You’re incredible.” 

When their lips met, it was slow, each movement a deliberate choice to bring them closer together. Calloused hands knotted in blue hair, arms snaked around a naked waist, and when they separated Jellal laughed out of sheer relief. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Jellal punctuated his words with small kisses peppered along the bridge of Gray’s nose, and the shorter man grinned in response. 

“I love you, Jellal.” These were not words which Gray said often, no matter how deeply he felt them. That made it all the more special. Jellal took Gray’s hand and pressed his lips against the knuckle. 

“I love you too.” 

With a hug from Meredy as a last reassurance, Jellal left for Gray’s apartment. Being in a relationship was new, and difficult, and maybe they still had things to overcome. Maybe they weren’t perfect. But for the first time in his life, Jellal was looking to the future, not the past, and everything seemed brighter as long as he had Gray standing by his side. 


End file.
